After losing her daughter, the Earth Goddess fell into an eternal slumber and never opened her eyes again. But the people never gave up hope. They thought, If the Demon King could be killed, perhaps spring would return to the world. If her daughter’s death could be avenged, perhaps the Earth Goddess would awaken. 

“Everyone clung to this hope. Desperately, for thousands of years.” 

Lucian finished his heavy words and turned his head, his gaze hardened. 

“I see.”

The demon queen replied, half listening. She was absentmindedly plucking at the stem of a wild flower she seemed to have brought with her from somewhere. 

“Did you even listen to what I said?” 

“More or less.” 

“It’s incredibly rude to half-listen when someone’s talking to you.” 

“But I don’t like hearing you talk about another woman so often.” 

When Lucian let out a quiet sigh instead of answering, Rose laughed softly. 

“I’m kidding.” 

“…….” 

“I heard you. Every word you said.” 

Hugging her knees, Rose whispered sweetly to Lucian. Once again the wind carried the sound of branches rustling like waves. 

“Do you believe in that myth?” 

Lucian unconsciously followed the pink petal drifting through the air with his eyes and answered a moment too late. 

“Myth? What do you mean?” 

The petal, swirling in the air, finally landed on the blanket. The woman picked it up, handed it to Lucian and spoke. 

“The hope that spring will return when the Demon King is killed.” 

For a moment, Lucian stared silently at the petal resting in his palm. 

Memories of his past washed over him like a distant longing, brushing against his shoulders before fading away. 

Did he ever believe in hope? 

“I am not sure. 

Perhaps he believed when he was very young. 

“I don’t know. Even if revenge is taken, the Goddess of Spring is already gone.

In the end, all that remains after revenge is emptiness. 

After the comrades he grew up with and the entire army were destroyed, he found himself alone in a distant hell, killing demons. As he did so, he realised that nothing could ever fill the void left by what had already been lost. 

How much more painful must it be for a mother who has lost her child? 

Since falling into eternal slumber thousands of years ago, the Earth Goddess has never awoken. The belief that she would seek revenge for her daughter’s death was a purely human assumption. 

“Maybe it’s too late to hope now.”

Lucian muttered, staring down at the single petal in his hand. 

The demon queen replied in a subdued voice, “You killed my husband when you had no hope.” 

Lucian looked up briefly. 

“Do you hate me for that?” 

At his indifferent question, the demon queen laughed softly and shook her head. 

“No. I killed him in the first place.” 

“What?” 

“I could have stopped you before you killed him, but I didn’t.” 

Lucian, who had opened his mouth to answer, froze. It was the most horrible and sickening confession of sin he had ever heard. 

How… 

“It wasn’t you; it was I who killed him, in truth.” 

How could she say something so chilling, that she’d killed the man she’d been with for thousands of years, with such a calm expression… 

“So I have no reason to hold it against you, Lucian.” 

“…” 

“I didn’t bring this up to blame you.” 

Despite her soothing tone, Lucian remained silent for a long time. Like a broken machine, his thoughts slowed down, leaving him in a daze. 

Was there any reason to be shocked anymore? 

“I was just curious. How could someone like you, who doesn’t believe in hope, kill my husband?” 

It was a demon, after all. 

In the void left by his fading disbelief, only a silent realisation remained. With an expression that didn’t falter, the man replied to the demon queen. 

“Even though there was no hope, I had a mission. To eradicate all evil from the world and save humanity.” 

“…” 

“That was all there was to it.” 

When Lucian had finished speaking, he turned his gaze to the lakeshore. 

For a moment he was mesmerised as he watched the pale pink petals flutter down and settle on the surface of the sunlit, crystal clear water. Everything before him seemed like a distant illusion. 

“To be honest.”

“…” 

“I never really understood why the royal family was so obsessed with spring. I had never experienced it myself.” 

“Do you still feel that way?” 

“No.” 

Looking at the magnolia tree standing in the middle of the lake, the man shook his head. 

“Seeing this landscape now, I think I’m beginning to understand.” 

Lucian had never known that there was anything warmer than the glow of the fireplace on Christmas Eve, or anything more radiant than a frozen, transparent lake. 

The world of flowers and trees was dazzling and enchanting, like the paintings in the stained glass windows of the monastery he had seen long ago. Lucian found the gentle breeze against his cheek delightful. It was as if he were in a blissful dream. 

Even in this moment, spent with a terrible demon, spring was beautiful. 

A faint smile appeared and then faded from Lucian’s lips. As he looked at the petals floating on the edge of the lake, he murmured as if in a trance, 

“If this is what spring is like, if this was the world I had known from the beginning…” 

“…” 

“I think I would have wanted to reclaim it at all costs. No matter how small the hope, I would have clung to it to the end.”

“…….” 

“Even if it takes thousands, no, millions of years, I would make sure to get it back…” 

A voice as soft as the spring breeze brushed past his ear. 

“If you stay with me, you can always see it.” 

Lucian glanced sideways. 

“The four seasons of the Underworld are beautiful. Perhaps they’re no different from the old days of the human world you speak of.” 

“…….” 

“So stay here with me. Let’s live together and wait for spring to return every year.” 

The Demon Queen’s eyes, softly curved like blossoming branches, spoke with a smile, but Lucian did not respond. 

To change the terms of their contract, both parties had to agree. He knew she was scheming, using words like that to manipulate him. 

“No matter how much you try to tempt me, I have no intention of changing the terms of the contract.” 

“Why?” 

She blinked in confusion and Lucian replied without hesitation. 

“Because the Underworld Well has been stolen from the human realm. No matter how precious the things you offer me, I have no intention of accepting them.” 

“Are you sure about that?” 

“Yes.” 

“And how can you be so sure of what I might offer you?” 

“Whatever it is, it will surely be evil and unjust. After all, you are a demon.” 

Lucian’s words were deliberately harsh, intended to dissuade the Demon Queen, but she didn’t even flinch. 

“I know what you really want.” 

“Is this the same nonsense again?” 

“You really want to see it up close, don’t you?” 

“See what?” 

“The magnolia blooming in the middle of the lake.” 

For a moment, Lucian’s lips froze in mid-response. Seizing the moment, Rose added, 

“I planted it as a wedding gift. It wasn’t stolen from the human realm, so it’s neither evil nor unjust.” 

“Is that true?” 

“Of course it is. Why would I lie to my husband?” 

“…….” 

“If you take a canoe out on the lake, you can go right under that tree. Every time the wind blows, a rain of flowers falls over your head.” 

“A rain of flowers?” 

“A rain of flowers.” 

“…….” 

“What do you think, Lucian?” 

Though Lucian’s expression didn’t betray any reaction, Rose noticed it clearly – the slight movement of his throat as he swallowed once. 

“You want to see it, don’t you?” 

Her voice, soft as a spring breeze, made him turn his head and answer, though a moment too late. 

“Yes.” 

It came in handy at times like this that a knight couldn’t lie. Rose beamed and grabbed his hand, pulling him along. 

“Then let’s go! To the canoe!” 

Before Lucian could speak, she tugged at his hand and dashed towards the water like an excited puppy. He stumbled slightly, as if being dragged by a sled dog, before regaining his balance. 

“My lady, let go of my hand before I fall.” 

“Hahaha!” 

“And where on earth would you find a canoe?” 

Lucian’s words stopped in mid-sentence as he looked up. On the previously empty shore of the lake, a small boat, just big enough for two people, floated as if it had always been there. 

“Come on, Lucian.”

When he regained his senses, Lucian found himself in a canoe. With careful and practised movements, the demon queen began to row, steering the boat towards the centre of the lake.

Plop, plop – the sound of the oar cutting through the water echoed for a long time.